10 Best Opening Levels In Video Game History

Even before the game starts, it asks you whether you’ve played any of the previous games in the series, purely to determine whether to show a self-depreciating joke at the series’ previous entry’s expense. This is a game that is able to simultaneously deliver a gripping Cold War-era espionage thriller, while still making time to throw in a fourth wall-breaking joke.

As soon as you take control of Snake, you’ll realise that this is a complete departure to the series’ previous settings. Tight, angular corridors have been replaced by wild jungle environments, with a huge emphasis on camouflage and using your surroundings to your advantage. There are also new dangers in the form of poisonous local wildlife, as well as quicksand and hungry carnivores waiting to eat you for breakfast.

Gone too are the helpful technological elements such as having each enemy guard (and their field of view) visible on your mini-map. This has been replaced by a more primitive sonar-based system, which can show the location of living beings, but with no distinction between a harmless bird and a lethal rifle-armed guard. Even using this system runs the risk of being noticed, as it creates a “ping” every time it is used.

Nothing quite like it had been seen before, and it was instrumental in the game being considered one of the best of all time.